Pack and Something More
by calikocat
Summary: Finally throwing off the fog she's lived in for so long Jessica Harris finally finds her place and her pack grows. Spander, slight crossover with Wolf's Rain.
1. Prologue

Pack and Something More  
Word Count: 263  
calikocat/LemonKitty

_Author's Notes: Umm…wow. First attempt at Buffy fiction. xx; Don't hesitate to tell me I suck. Okay, here we go. This is gonna be Spander (Spike/Xander) with some strangeness thrown in. 'Cause hey, Buffy-land, the place of strangeness. It's roughly season 4, no Anya in sight, Xander is living in the basement, Spike is chipped and more or less bunking with him; his crypt isn't safe because of the Initiative. Also I've got a slight crossover with Wolf's Rain going on here, no characters from the anime just the whole Wolves taking on human form thing. :blinks: And Xander's Mom plays a huge part in this fic, so she's gonna get lots of time in the spot light…it's as much about her as it is the boys…I think that's it. :hides in closet:_

XXX

::Prologue::

Heat, rubble, smoke. It surrounded him, crushed him as he left a trail of blood to mark their passage through the remains of the building. He knew it was his and not the girl's, _thank god_. She was strong, she'd live on…his time however was almost up. Even now he could feel death's cold skeletal finger's snatching at his soul, willing his life's blood to flow from his body.

Hurry, he had to hurry, had to get her out, away from this hell pit that buried them. His hands were raw, bloody, the flesh torn to the bone in some places. But he couldn't stop; stopping was not at option at this point, not that it had ever been. He had to dig, had to move the rubble, he had to save her. She had to live…he wouldn't let death take him till she was out from under the destroyed building.

His thoughts were desperate, scattered with urgency and smothered with betrayal. Why? Why did the council…what gave them the right to do this? Were they not faithful to the cause? Who cared if they saw the world as it was; shades of gray instead of the black and white the council preached. Bunch of Bastards. If he were a gypsy he'd curse them, turn them all into harmless fluffy bunnies. Then he'd go hunting, he'd always had a taste for rabbit.

So tired, so much rubble. For gods sake how much C4 had the assholes used? There a light, though it was dim. _Hang on kid; I'll get you out yet…_

XXX


	2. Chapter One

Pack and Something More  
Word Count: 3,853  
calikocat/LemonKitty

_Author's Notes: Ookay, time for part one/chapter one, whatever. The crossover with Wolf's Rain is more apparent here. Sorry about any confusion with the Prologue, it was supposed to make you go wha? ... :slinks away:_

XXX

::Part One::

She'd been dead for years. In place of what had once been a vibrant young girl full of hopes of the future there was nothing. Green eyes that had at one time been the color of dark forests were dull and void of life, like pond scum, dead and lifeless. Those dead eyes took in the reflection in the hall mirror. Dark hair hung in mangled strands…she couldn't remember the last time she'd washed it. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered. She still wasn't sure why she was looking at the pathetic creature in the reflective glass. It only had pity for her. What was the point in having mirrors in this god-forsaken house anyway? They were a nuisance, showing her what the world saw, the horror, the pain…the marred flesh. And that was on a good day.

Years of shutting herself away, that had been the first thing she learned. Hide in a corner; either in life or in her mind and things weren't so bad. If she pretended not to be there she was ignored. Which was a blessing; she didn't know what she'd do if he still wanted to touch her. Luckily all he wanted was the bottle. Thank god for small favors.

She could remember, if only briefly, other times when the fog lifted and she could see, could breathe again. They were few and far between but they happened all the same. The first time had been when the boy was born, some old hope at happiness had surfaced only to be beaten and drowned out of her by that man and the bottle respectfully. More than a decade passed before her mind cleared again when the boy was fifteen, the only reason she had been dragged out of her internal prison was the desperate call for pack, for family that he had cried out for. Something had happened to her pup and while she was coherent she comforted him, doing what she could, knowing she couldn't make up for years of neglect. But it was the best she could do. She answered his howl of loneliness with one of her own and with veiled shock they ran together, hunted, bonded. And then she slipped away again.

The next time she surfaced had been the day of her pup's graduation. The building power was enough to pull her from the unconscious confines placed on her spirit. Slipping into a run she made it to the school in time to join the battle, catching sight of her offspring and letting the strange sensation of pride slip into her. And she hoped with all she had that he would be stronger than she had proven to be. Hoped that the gifts genetics bestowed upon him would be of more help to him than they had to her. Hoped that he was human enough not let the bottle destroy him, confine him. After the defeat of the mayor she was still enough of herself that they again ran together, the call of pack and family echoing in triumph through the otherwise quiet streets of Sunny Dale. Demons were scarce that night, none willing to brave the outdoors when the howls of such wolves rang out into the night following the destruction of the High School.

But that was months ago and she had slipped away again, back into her walking coma as the boy had called it. She held on as long as she could that time though, the call of pack and home had been strong, but the haze returned and smothered the beast with the poison of the bottle the man shoved at her. And her pup mourned for the loss of her and as she slipped away again she too mourned for his loss, and her own. She was so tired of losing herself.

But she was already broken, so it didn't matter. Once she was faced with the chains of the bottle nothing mattered.

But now something was different…something shook her fully awake. She looked in the mirror again and blinked in confusion as something clicked in her head. Ancient habits surfaced and pushed through the haze that she'd become accustomed to. The lingering affects of alcohol were shoved away and she was left with a clear focus, something she'd hadn't had in years, not including the nights of hunting with her pup. _What the hell?_ She never felt like _this_ anymore, not since that night, she could still feel the building collapsing around her.

The first thing about battle she had learned was that humans were not the enemy. And even if humans were the enemy, harming them was not tolerated. _Never hurt your own kind._ The words whispered faintly and she shoved the memory back. What did those old fools know? But champions weren't meant to choose who they fought for, they were only told to fight. Damn the council, if they had any sense…god, if Nathan were here now he'd understand…what she lived with wasn't human. Humans weren't exactly her kind anyway. And it was time she did something about it…it was time to face a different type of demon, one in the guise of a man.

A crash echoed through the house; a crash from the basement. _Oh god._ What had that man done now? What was he going to do? Would he…would he really hurt the boy like that…is that why he hadn't touched her in years. Had she sunken so far into her own personal hell that she had failed the one little bright speck that should have been the light of her worthless life? Was it even possible to fail someone that much?

Years of conditioning slid off her like flimsy silk and her training came to the forefront…and she reveled in it. Felt truly alive for the first time in…in forever, both the wolf and the warrior breathing deeply. But there was no time to rejoice, she had to move, had to protect what was hers. For the first time in years she was going to fight back, protect what was precious from the monster that ruled this castle.

Quickly and quietly she moved from the hall, not bothering to look back at the mirror. For if she had she would have stayed, shocked at the sudden change. Pond scum eyes were vibrant and alive again, crackling with energy, like the trees whipping back and forth in the middle of a storm. She was back, if only for a moment. But she moved on, not caring how she looked, only caring about what was happening below her feet.

In moments she was at the door to the basement. It was locked; a flick of her wrist and the door broke from a strength long forgotten. And then she was down the stairs, moving faster that she should have arriving at the bottom, dizzy and confused.

_Vampire!_ Her mind screamed, but her eyes couldn't make sense of the scene before her. There was a vampire, a vampire in her basement, male if her sense of smell was still working. How the _hell_ had that happened? She hadn't invited any vamps in, she'd never been that wasted. Could the man have done it? But why to the basement? And where was the boy?

The man ignored her, to busy with his…work. His dirty fists swung back over and over, pummeling the slim body that cringed in the far corner. There was a tinge of blood in the still air coming from the vampire, he was bleeding. And why the hell would a vampire cringe before a drunk like Tony Harris?

And that alone forced her to stand in wonder. _Why isn't the vampire fighting back?_ Suddenly she was tired, so very tired, but it was an old feeling, she'd been out of the game too long. She didn't understand why the vampire wasn't defending itself, and she was almost beyond caring. But whatever she did she'd better do it now, besides, it wouldn't be the first time she'd saved a demon.

And she did. She moved so fast that neither man nor vampire knew what had happened. The vampire, somewhat surprised that the beating had stopped, was peeking passed raised arms to peer at the small woman in wary relief, then confusion as he realized the tiny female had thrown the man across the room. Not that he minded the tossing about such a poor excuse as his attacker.

The man hit the concrete wall with a thud and stared blankly at his wife…the little brown mouse that never once had defied him.

He narrowed blood shot brown eyes at her and snarled, forcing all his contempt for the small woman into his voice. It came out ugly, venomous and hissing like a snake. "What are you doing Jessica?"

Stormy green orbs raked over him and he nearly cringed as her husky voice did the same, nearly low enough to be called a growl. "What are you doing Tony?"

Tony made it to his feet and stalked over to her, determined to be the _man_ and keep the bitch in line. "Teaching the faggot a lesson; I thought I beat yours into you years ago Mouse."

He smirked as for a second she seemed to fold into herself, but after a visible tremble, like a dog shaking off water, she straightened and turned her burning eyes onto him again. "Get upstairs, and get out of the house."

"You giving me orders? Mouse?"

Her eyes flashed like lightning and in a second she was in his face a howl of rage bubbling from her throat as she lifted him off his feet and dragged him toward the door. The vampire; though bloodied and confused was there in a moment and managed to open it without going up in flames. And with a great heave she threw one bewildered and shit-scared Tony Harris out into the sunlit yard. His heavy body flew several feet before hitting the ground and rolling to a stop and he barely managed to look back. He regretted it instantly; the Mouse had found some teeth after all these years. She was snarling like those gangs on PCP and he shuddered and stayed on the ground, content to play the part of discarded refuse.

xxx

Spike peered outside at the drunken git that lay in the sunlight, scared and not daring to move from the dirt he lay in. Not that the vampire blamed the tosser; the small woman beside him was scarier than the slayer during PMS. He wondered if he should grab a blanket from the boy's bed and make for the nearest sewer access.

She turned to look at him, dirty brown hair mangled and stringy, but he could see the beauty she'd once been in those eyes. They were eyes that spoke of wild things long dead but slowly rising from the grave and gazing about in wonder.

"Come upstairs vampire, the blinds are closed." She glanced at the man cowering, practically playing dead, in the dirt outside. "Lock the door; don't want him in here again." She moved passed him then with wavering grace, almost like she was trying to move to some long forgotten dance and her body was stiff in it's remembrance. And he caught a whiff of something that sent his senses reeling; the scent of a slayer and something else…wolves?

Hiding his confusion, something he was very good at; he closed and locked the basement door and gazed after the tiny woman who moved up the stairs, they didn't creak once, not even the loose one. Spike rubbed his face and winced at the bruises he knew were forming, licking almost absently at his busted lip. _What the bloody hell is goin' on?_

Moving at his normal pace he sauntered up the stairs and into the kitchen. He'd never been upstairs before, not that he was interested, but still he gazed around to make sure it was safe. Didn't want to walk into a patch of sunlight by accident now did he.

Steely blue eyes met a much calmer forest green, a deep green like a beast lying down to rest but still ready to snap should another predator come around. What really got his attention though was the first aide kit the woman was sorting through.

"Sit."

He looked at her in disbelief, snarled his lip at her even. She rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip, looking suddenly younger and older at the same time. "Yeah, I get it. Big bad vampire, well you know what, even big bad vampires need patching up now and again. Now sit or I'll make you sit."

He scowled at her and sat, keeping his glare on at full force. He wasn't going to trust this woman, small as she was; who couldn't possibly be what she smelled like…there were two slayers…what the hell was she?

xxx

Jessica felt so alive and as a result she wanted to howl and dance in victory. She'd done it, she'd really thrown that monster out of the house, literally, and she was never letting him back in. Better yet, maybe she should just take the boy…_Xander…her son, her pup_…and leave. _Her son_, _hers_; it echoed through her heart and she couldn't help but smile. She was free, free to claim him as hers; no one would hurt her for trying to care. Why the _hell_ hadn't she done _this _sooner? It felt damn good to care. But…why the hell was she dabbing a wet rag on a vampire's busted lip? Why was there a vamp in her house period?

"So…wanna tell me why you're in my house? I didn't invite you in." Her voice was still low, a permanent husk to it from abuse and disuse.

He hissed at the rag as she cleaned his wounds, not like they'd get infected…but cleaning them meant they would heal faster so he dealt. "Want to tell me why you smell like a slayer?"

She hesitated for a fraction of a second; if he'd been human he would have missed it. "I should have expected that. Vampire senses and everything…been a long time since I was this close." Her voice was softer then and her touch grew gentle as she concentrated on cleaning his scrapes. They stayed like that for a while, him glaring at her and her gently probing his wounds fussing over him like he was a child and not the Big Bad. It was strange for both of them.

She glanced at his eyes, so blue they just might freeze her with a look alone, but she shrugged it off and put the first aide kit away. With a toss the rag was in the sink and she was going for the ice bag. His face was going to swell, ice would help. And if he was going to explain what he was doing here it would make talking easier.

In moments she had the ice bag wrapped in a small towel and handed it to him. He just glared at her. She closed her eyes and let out a world weary sigh before putting the bag to his face and grabbing his hand up to hold it in place. "Keep it there for a while."

She pulled a chair out and collapsed onto it, spent and wondering if she'd always felt this old. The vampire was still glaring at her and she narrowed her eyes and glared back.

"So, why are you in my house?"

He sneered at her. "Got invited in."

Still slouched in her seat she gave him a look. "I'm tired and out of practice but I can still hold my own against you vampire." Another sigh. "Cut the bull will you? What's your name?"

"Spike." His eyes flashed gold.

She stiffened. "As in Spike and Drusilla?"

"Heard of me have you?" Spike smirked at her, chin lifting his battered face in pride.

She nodded and gave him a wry smile. "I'm Jessica."

"The Whelp's Mum yeah knew that."

"Whelp?"

"…Xander…" The name left his lips softly, almost like a prayer and left her blinking. _Oh boy_.

"Does Xander know what you are?" She wondered idly what her son had gotten into…what in the _hell_ had she missed during all those years in a drunken stupor. Obviously a lot from the way Spike was looking at her.

"Are you serious? Luv, this is a bloody Hell Mouth. Your pup's been playin' at bein' a White Knight for a couple of years at least. Even stood up to Angelus." His accent caught and held her, pretty to her ears. But that name shot her with molten fear. _Angelus?!_

Her face must have shown what was going on in her frazzled mind because in a moment he was patting her hand. "'salright pet. You're boy's alive init he. Safe at the slayer's side."

She blinked at him. _Wha? Slayer?_ "Slayer?" She finally managed to say aloud.

"Bint named Buffy. One of the lad's best friends…you didn't know?"

Jessica snorted then, though not in amusement. "I've spent the last ten years or so in a state of numb-almost-but not quite oblivion. I haven't noticed much of anything for the most part."

He looked at her long and hard, fleeting changes in his gaze made him look softer, almost like he understood what it was like to hit rock bottom. "How long have you been a slayer?"

She took a chance and continued to hold those too blue eyes with her own in an almost challenge. "Since I was thirteen."

A look of surprise, though she wasn't sure why, met her gaze. "How old are you now pet?"

Jessica looked at the table top, brow furrowed and thought for a moment before answering. That was it, not another drink for her, not ever. "Thirty-nine."

xxx

Spike, William the damned Bloody could only stare at the woman before him. The woman who could quite possibly be the oldest living slayer in history, and wasn't this just a strange situation? Even for living, err, existing on the Hell Mouth, seeing as he was once Slayer of Slayers. He wondered how she'd fare going against Buffy…and whoever heard of a slayer that smelled of wolves…hmm…

"That's quite a feat pet, slayers don't usually last so long—" He was cut off by her eyes, they were alive again, almost savage in their sorrow.

"I didn't. I died when I was eighteen." She wouldn't meet his eyes again. "Look…I don't really care that you're here. But if Xander let you in and you haven't killed him yet…" She took a breath. "If you're his friend that's fine, you're welcome here anytime. I'll do what I can to keep Tony out." And in a rush of movement she was gone, feet padding silently through the house and away from the kitchen and the vampire.

Spike sat there for a long time, wondering what had broken this particular slayer…did the boy even know his mum was a slayer?

xxx

Xander stared, eyes almost comically wide at the fallen form of Tony Harris. His scum of a father lay in the dirt nearly twenty feet from the basement entrance. There were no tracks leading from the door to the drunken heap of man which he could hardly bare to associate with the word father. This meant that the waste of space that was Tony Harris hadn't left the house on his own; nor had he been drug out.

_Oookay…confused much. Look boys and girls, it's just another day on the Hell Mouth._ But he wondered…did Spike do that? This was completely possible, especially if Tony had come downstairs threatening to raise the rent. Damn, Spike had probably lost his temper and tossed the drunk out the basement door, which would have set the chip off. Dumb vampire was probably rolling on the bed in pain, moaning and—_mmm, Spike rolling on my bed…Oh god…here we go again. Shut up beastie, let's not go there._ And he wondered if his mom had such a problem when she was young and hormonal, the wolf wanting to jump anything that oozed sex. But hey, even if he'd been a normal human he'd still probably want to jump something that oozed sex…like Spike, because _guh, much oozing of the sex…and god that sounds so wrong, especially the association of his mom and hormonal sex oozing. Oookay, stopping the inner babble now.. _

His wolf being close to the surface and thoughts of his mom coloring his thoughts he unconsciously lifted his head to sniff the air. Much to his surprise he caught a scent he didn't expect and he moved closer, ending up beside Tony in seconds. Spike's scent was there his blood sharp and rich which meant he was bleeding, though it was faint…his Mom's scent was there too, even fainter so he knew she wasn't hurt. He could smell the rich and clean wild musk of the wolf that he associated with her and the feeling of pack. But there was something new there, something he had only associated with Buffy, Kendra, and Faith; something that tied the three girls together as surely as the blood of kin. The scent of a slayer blended in with is Mom's and Spike's scent, somehow managing to calm him so that he didn't do something he might regret. Not that he would regret it too much, this was Tony after all.

He left out a soft growl and nudged the pathetic human being with the tip of his work boot. Tony shuddered and a wave of fear came off him like the stench of bad perfume. However he managed to raise his head and looked Xander in the eye before shuddering again at the look he found in the brown eyes above them. They were edgy and flecked with green and looked at him the same way Jessica had only a little while before. _What the hell was going on with them?_

"Where's Mom?" Xander was rather proud of himself; he'd kept his voice smooth, not wavering in the slightest and only a touch of wolfy growl.

"Mouse is inside with that Fag of yours." Tony spat in a last attempt to rile the boy.

A slow blink of brown orbs followed by a snarl and a snap of human teeth had Tony curling in on himself, hardly realizing the boy was gone and heading for the front door.

He wasn't worried, not really. He could smell the wolf and the scent of their too small pack lingering on the man. It meant his Mom had managed to surface again, clawing her way out of what he had dubbed her walking coma. But usually when this happened they bonded, hunted, and just were. Never before had she attacked the man that held their chains so to speak. If this meant that she was around for good…he was almost afraid to hope for such an occurrence, because hey, he lived on a Hell Mouth.

XXX

**A/N: Be nice and feed the starving author.** :puppy eyes:


	3. Chapter Two

Pack and Something More

Word Count: 2,918

calikocat/LemonKitty

_A/N: I'll try my best to explain the walking coma bit. It seems to have a couple of people confused. It just sounded so good in my head ya know? We'll just smile and go with it okay? And for the time being I'm completely ignoring everything beyond season 4…simply because I can. Though make no mistake, I love Dawn to death, perhaps I'll find a way to work her in… ::shrugs::_

XXX

::Part Two::

Spike was still sitting at the kitchen table staring in the direction that Jessica had ran, ice bag pressed to his bruised and swelling face. He was still trying to figure out what was happening, being more than a little baffled at the idea of there being three slayers. And if there could be three…was it possible that more could exist? He'd heard that Buffy had died at the Master's hands, an evil smile graced his injured features, the old toad had drowned the bint. But the Whelp had brought her back…which activated the slayer that his darling Dru had killed. Which brought Faith into the loop, but that explained nothing about Jessica. She'd said something about dieing at eighteen, which ultimately meant that she'd been dead for a few moments before being revived…like Buffy._ Doubt the council of Wankers knows about this one. Otherwise she'd still have a Watcher keepin' an eye on her.  
_

He moved the ice bag to another knot on his face, switching hands and taking an unneeded breath to sigh. The sun wasn't even down yet and he was ready to call it a night and crawl back into the boy's bed and sleep._ 'Cept if he found me there he'd probably throw me out the door and give his Da a good dust bath. And that's not really on my list of things to do today. _

Briefly he considered getting up and following after Jessica, because honestly, he'd just discovered there was a slayer that was well past thirty and he was extremely curious._ Not like there's much else to do. Passions isn't on, Whelp's not here to annoy, and it's still daylight. Don't fancy goin' out just yet. Not that goin' out at night is much better. Bloody Initiative. _ He was still contemplating getting up, when he heard the boy's footfalls approaching the house. He'd recognize the sound anywhere except—something was different.

Spike tilted his head to the side, moving the ice bag away from his ear so he could concentrate on the hurried steps as they entered the house. They were softer than they should be, cautious, but hurried. And then Xander entered the kitchen and the musk of wolves filled the room and the evil undead blinked in utter confusion a quick _"Bloody Hell"_ leaving his busted mouth in astonishment. Whatever the woman was, the son had inherited it to some degree. To some extent it reminded him of what Red's old beau had smelled like. Except werewolves weren't quite natural, and had a strangeness about them that set them apart from regular wolves. The Whelp and his Mum were different; it was an older scent, the clean smell of wild things after a rain. And above all there was a hint of safety there that he couldn't put his finger on.

He raised a battered face to the boy, blue eyes meeting deep brown orbs and he tilted his head further, wondering what the Whelp was thinking.

xxx

Xander rounded the corner after bursting into the house and then just stopped…and stared. Spike, the evil undead jerk was sitting at the kitchen table, staring in the direction of the hallway. However once he stepped into the kitchen blue eyes turned on him and held his gaze, wounded lips uttering a soft exclamation that he normally wouldn't have heard. But the wolf was awake and things were much sharper than they had been. It felt so long since graduation…that was the last time they had run.

They stared at one another for a moment more, brown eyes taking in the damaged face and Xander growled, moving farther into the room, swift and light on his feet. He stopped though when Spike tensed, the vampire's body rigid and ready to bolt. Slowly he took a breath to calm down, and proceeded to move much slower this time. Spike looked at him with a confused and not very trusting gaze. Not that he had any reason to trust Xander after all…he'd tied the guy to a chair.

Xander kept moving, ever so slowly, going so far as to drop down to all fours trying his best to convey that he was of no threat. He didn't want to spook the injured vampire…and wasn't that an amusing thought. Xander the 'Zeppo' Harris didn't want the vampire to run away. He reached Spike finally and lifted his hands cup the vampire's chin, the pale body remained tense, ready to slip away at a moment's notice.

He leaned closer to the cool form, taking in the many scents that clung to it. There was Tony's foul reek of old beer and stale sweat, and another growl escaped Xander's throat, a deadly quiet rumble. He managed to stop though and breathe in the other scents, there was antiseptic—a familiar brand from their well stocked first aid kit. There was his mother's smell, clean wolf musk, ancient forests filled with secrets, with a touch of pack.

And then there was Spike's own unique smell. Cool leather and smoke mixed with blood and something that shouldn't be there that sent his eyes rolling for a brief moment._ Why the heck does Spike smell like Pack?!...Omigod…I just crawled on the floor to Spike! Stupid wolf. _ He took another breath, held it and moved back, his fingers however lingered a bit longer than necessary on the vampire's chin.

"You okay Spike?"_ Of course he's not okay! I mean look at him! All bruised and stuff…maybe I should have done more than just growl at Tony. I mean yeah…Spike's the evil undead, but he's never done anything to Tony. Not that Tony needs an excuse to hit somebody, and Spike can't fight back, stupid ass-wipe Tony, better lock the front door and hope he doesn't have a key on him. And damn it! I'm channeling my inner Willow again. Uh…maybe I should stand up now. _

xxx

_What. In. The. Bloody. Buggering. Hell. Is goin' on? It's not enough that the Whelp's Mum is an enigma, but the Whelp himself is acting strange. And what is with this Wolf Smell? And the crawling…still on his knees, probably won't be for long though. Ah, there he goes, standing up and backing away. _ Before he could give Xander a knowing smirk the boy moved closer again, taking the ice bag from him and pressing it gently to one of the darker bruises.

Spike looked at him. "Are you bloody possessed? I heard about the hyena incident."

Xander rolled his eyes and Spike noticed that the flecks of green were fading away. "No, I'm not possessed. This is…it's the least I can do. This shouldn't have happened…but Tony doesn't need a reason to hurt someone…it's just what he does."

"I've had worse. No worries yeah? Yer Mum's down the hall." He flicked his eyes in the direction Jessica had gone. "Seems a bit shaken, stood her ground though. It seems there's a story or two there." He met brown eyes again and now they were wary.

"No stories yet Spike. Not unless Mom okays it…you probably already smelled the wolves." Dark lashes brushed against soft cheeks as the boy closed his eyes and sighed.

"Yeah. S'not what I was talkin' about though. Yer Mum smells like a—"

"Slayer…yeah, I smelled it outside." There was a flash of white teeth against tan skin when Xander smiled. "She threw him out?"

"Yeah…and what do you mean you smelled it? Got somethin' to do with Wolves yeah?" Xander nodded. Spike sighed and took the ice bag back from pulse leaden fingers. "Go find yer Mum then. I'm not goin' anywhere."

Xander nodded and relinquished the ice bag and turned to leave, as he reached the doorway he glanced over his shoulder. "Have you been sleeping in my bed when I'm not here?"

Spike froze; a stillness that only the dead can pull off. Then he looked up and met a curious gaze, there was no anger or hate there. Just wonder. "Yeah, bed's still warm when you leave." And that was that. Xander nodded and left to find his Mother, leaving a still confused Spike in the kitchen.

Slowly he retrieved his smokes and lighter from his duster and lit one up, took a breath, and held the smoke for a moment, savoring the nicotine. He let it out with a whoosh and tilted his head back, as if the ceiling could respond to his questioning stare. "Only on the Hell Mouth." He grumbled.

xxx

Jessica had made it as far as the back door. Originally she'd planned to go outside, but she knew that once she did she'd let the wolf take over and she'd run…and hunt. And while it was a great temptation, she didn't want to run alone, and besides there were no beasties to hunt during the day. Everything waited for the sun to go down. So she would wait too.

She took deep breathes to steady herself, and slowly found her center and held it. The wolf was disgruntled and wanted to run. The slayer was wary and still wondering why there was a vampire in the house. Briefly she wondered when she'd begun addressing them as separate entities when they were her and she was them. True her 'inner' slayer was more attuned to the darkness that surrounded demons and the like, and her wolf was all about pack …but it was still all her. They were like separate sets of instincts rather than multiple personalities. They wouldn't be so segregated if she wasn't a half-breed.

Xander was home, she could feel him nearby, he was already in the house. Conversing with the vampire from what she could tell, she wasn't really paying attention. Why had her son invited a vampire inside anyway? If he'd been helping a slayer didn't he know better; and who ever heard of a slayer with back up? Vampires were demons and demons were…okay that would not make a good argument. She'd befriended a demon or two in her day, hell it was why the council had…_No, don't think of that. Don't think of that dark time, don't think about the building…about the noise, like the sound barrier breaking and the heat and the fear…Nathan screaming my name… _ Another deep breath, in and out, her chin meeting her chest.

A click of the lock on the front door, followed by soft footsteps, and suddenly Xander was behind her.

"Mom?"

The scent of pack wafted around her and she could feel the tension easing from her body. Xander brought that scent with him, meaning his wolf was close to the surface, answering her call once again. The segregation of human and wolf was just as strong as her son…perhaps more because he was more human than wolf. A strong hand touched her shoulder and turned her around; bringing her gaze to meet his. Brown eyes flecked with green, which only happened when the wolf was close.

"I'm all right."

A tilted head. "You sure?"

"Yeah…just…"

"Tired?"

She gave him a small smile. "That's part of it."

Sadness emitted from him suddenly, the smell of it compelled her to reach out to him. "Are you going to slip away again?" She cupped his face in her hands, wondering when he'd gotten so tall.

"I think I'm back for good. No more alcohol for this wolf."

Xander blinked at her. "The alcohol is what kept you from me?"

Her face grew warm. "Um…kind of…wolves aren't meant to drink. But conditioning had a lot to do with it. And I'm not sure…but Tony might have been slipping me something, some sort of tranquilizer."

"What brought you back? Did the wolf finally get fed up?"

"Ah…would you believe it was because there's a vampire in the house…And exactly why is there a vampire in the house?"

"Um--he's… I'd say friend but that's not quite it. He's an ally I guess. We've all treated him like crap so there's no love lost…" Instead of sadness she smelled guilt with that proclamation; she offered him a small smile as he continued. "And why would Spike being here pull you out of the freaky walking coma?"

They glared at one another for a moment, brown-green flecked eyes staring down into deep forest orbs. Both were just alpha enough to keep up the contest. Luckily a noise behind Xander caught their attention and they moved their gazes to Spike who stood at the end of the hallway. The vampire had barely made a noise but still they'd heard them; the Big Bad looked a little unnerved at that.

But Spike shook the discomfort off like water and rolled his shoulder in an uncaring gesture. "As fun as this could be, let's move it to the kitchen. I can keep my eye on the both of you and the sharp objects that way."

Jessica sighed while Xander snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Fine."

"Geeze Spike, paranoid much?"

A quick drag from his cancer stick and Spike gave a half grin. "Just want to know what exactly I've been bunking with." The grin turned to a leer, which earned another eye roll from Xander.

Jessica looked from one to the other, a giggle erupting from her suddenly, leaving her shocked that she still knew how to make such a sound. Xander looked at her oddly.

"Sorry sweetie. But unless you want me jumping to conclusions you and your vampire have some explaining to do as well."

"B-but…he's…we're not…He's **NOT** my vampire." Xander sputtered and blushed and Jessica reached up to ruffle his hair.

"Easy honey, I know. If the two of you were having sex I'd be able to smell it…although…he's been sleeping in your bed hasn't he…because he does sort of smell like you." Xander made a sort of unmanly squeaking sound. She gave his arm an affectionate pat and led him down the hallway to a gob smacked vampire. "Well, come on then. Let's do some storytelling…while I still have the nerve."

Spike blinked and his gaze cleared, no longer looking surprised, leaving curiosity in it's wake. "You feel up to sharing your secrets, Slayer?"

Jessica tensed and her eyes narrowed, her small frame vibrating with the tension that comes with fight or flight situations.

"It's okay Mom…I can smell it now. I guess that's why you came back right? Having a vamp in the house brought your slayer senses to the surface…didn't it."

The tension disappeared again and she wondered if she was ever going to stop feeling tired. "I think that was it, I can't think of anything else."

Xander gave her a small smile, and then turned it on Spike. "For that…I'm glad you're here Spike."

xxx

Tony shuddered again at the memory of his wife and child, and he used the terms loosely. There was no point in going back inside, not with both of them acting crazy.

So instead of crawling back to the house, he was still too terrified to stand up and run screaming into the distance, he crawled to his car. Luckily he still had his keys on him, even better, he knew of a bar or two that were already accepting patrons.

Maybe things would make more sense after a few beers, or at least he could drink enough to pass out. Always a good thing when life wasn't making sense. And it was sort of strange how that seemed to happen in Sunny Dale so much.

xxx

High above the land of the living surrounded by blinding-fluffy whiteness a tall skinny boy of about fifteen looked down with an open mouth.

"Dude! That is seriously weird! Xan's like not completely human?!"

A slightly older looking girl appeared at his side and looked down briefly before glancing at her companion. "It is very strange. But it is good that there is another slayer on the Hell Mouth."

"Maybe, but…it's just weird ya know. I mean Mrs. Harris a slayer? She wasn't the world's best Mom, but she shielded Xander all she could, always letting him spend the night with me or Willow…There was one time he wanted to come over at like four in the morning on a Saturday…She walked him over and everything." He paused. "It's just hard to picture her kicking ass like you or Buffy."

She nodded. "True, but she has been broken. It is hard to put so many pieces back together."

"Kendra, anyone ever tell you you're a very weird girl."

"On occasion…but you yourself are very unusual boy Jesse."

"Guess we're even then."

"I suppose."

"Hey, come on. Let's go see what Morgan is up to." Jesse started to shimmer as if he were about to disappear when Kendra cleared her throat. He solidified and gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Do you not remember the last time we visited Morgan?" She gave him a stern look. "Larry was most displeased at being interrupted."

Jesse blushed and gave her a sheepish grin. "I uh—kinda forgot about that."

Kendra let out a weary sigh. "Come, we will find something else to occupy our time." Her eyes softened as she proceeded to drag him off into a surrounding cloudbank.

"Did you like not have a boyfriend when you were alive?"

"I was trained in the old ways and had no time for boys or friends. Now come."

"Yes Ma'am!" Jesse let out a laugh that echoed throughout the air as he was happily drug away.

XXX


	4. Chapter Three

Pack and Something More

Word Count: 3,315

calikocat/LemonKitty

_A/N- ::dies:: Writing Spike is not easy. And brits have all sorts of weirdness in their English, but I'm trying. I actually had to look up some of the slang I used. If anyone else needs a reference to help them write 'King's English' go to whatever search engine you use and put in 'The very Best of British: The American's guide to speaking British'. It's all kinds of help. Oh and Charmant means lovely in French…or at least the online dictionary said it did._

XXX

::Part Three::

Spike carefully draped his duster over the back of his chair before sitting down. All the while keeping an eye on Xander and Jessica…not that he didn't trust them... _Don't have much reason to trust them now do I? Whelp tied me to that chair one time. And his Mum…bloody hell, she's a slayer and knows I'm the slayer of slayers. Bugger._

Upon ending his inner monologue he took the time to look at Mother and Son. Jessica, though she still looked like a mess, seemed to have regained a part of herself, some spark that had been missing before. Not that he could be sure as this was the first time he'd every really looked at her, before today he'd barely had a glimpse at her. But even with her messy and dull brown hair, the circles under her eyes, and her entire body doing an odd sort of slouch there was an energy that crackled. Only a slayer could pull something like that off. _Though don't think Buffy could do it. To young to understand the weight so many years could bring._

Xander looked calm on the outside, but he seemed to be filled with a nervous energy, it didn't crackle like his mother's, instead it seemed to shake and bounce though the boy was hardly moving. His brown eyes darted from his tired mother to Spike, back and forth, over and over. For a second Spike caught his gaze and held it, raising a brow in question. Xander gave him an unsure smile and shrugged as if to say: 'Don't look at me, I don't have a clue what's going on.' Which was probably true, but Spike kept staring at him, briefly wondering at the unique shade of brown that was the boy's eyes. They weren't the same as that clot's, also called Tony Harris. The elder Harris had almost septic eyes, the nastiest shade of brown imaginable. _Whelp's eyes are more like chocolate with the odd ring of caramel…and I did not just think that. Reverting back to a damn ponce I am. If I start spouting horrible poems I hope the whelp just stakes me…bleeding hell._

Xander returned his gaze with a confused expression and Spike tried not to compare the boy to a lost puppy. _Bugger._

xxx

Jessica let out a sigh drawing both sets of eyes toward her. Her face was scrunched up in concentration as if trying to sort out the mess in her head. When she finally looked up at them her eyes were tired, though the green was still looking a bit lively. _Should I be worried that the vampire and my son are partaking in non-verbal communication? Do they have a section on this in the parenting handbook?_

"I'm trying to decide where to start, whether it should be my life in general or when I became a slayer."

Xander gave her a soft smile, one she could only return, and grasped her hand lightly in his. "I'd kinda like to hear about our wolves."

She nodded and decided to jump right in. "They're not really separate entities, you know that right? It's not like a spirit or a being with a mind of it's own. It's a part of us, always there. Like a Werewolf, but a bit more natural. Except…neither of us is full wolf, for some reason that makes us different. I've never…" She glanced at Spike, Xander had called him a reluctant ally before, but still it was unnerving to tell your life story to the 'Slayer of Slayers'.

"Take your time ducks. Got no where to be."

Jessica nodded at him and took a breath, sending a short heartfelt prayer to her old watcher before continuing. _Come on Nathan, give me some guidance, this is new territory ahead of me._ "My Dad, Eric, was a Biologist studying Wolf Behavior in Canada when he met my Mother. He described it as the most terrifying experience of his life, and one of the most curious. He was walking back to his cabin when he first saw her. She was large and nearly solid black, eyes a vivid yellow. Dad said he'd gotten rather close to other wolves, but never had one approached him, completely unwary, not a bit of caution in her steps. Suddenly the wolf was gone and a young woman was in her place, her hair the same shade of black the wolf's fur had been, her eyes more of an amber color." Jessica smiled then. "You can guess what happened next."

"Wolf bint took a liking to your Da?"

_Wonder if he always states the obvious like that._ "Definitely, she stayed around during her pregnancy and after I was born seemed content with us. Her name was Charmant." Her expression changed, shadows creeping into her eyes.

"Mom?"

_Oh sweet pup, it was so long ago and you're jumping in to take on my pain. Your vampire knows you quite well, you are a White Knight aren't you._ "When I was three she just disappeared. Dad looked for her but never found her. We never knew why she left, or why she didn't take me with her. As I got older I decided it was just easier for her to travel alone." She sighed again and shared a sad smile with her son. "When I was five Dad moved us back to the states to a small town in Northern California about an hour away from Redding. Things went well for years; neither of us spoke of Charmant much. But when I was eight he had to tell me what he knew of her. It's when I learned I was half wolf."

"Half wolf? Started getting furry?" Spike's eyes narrowed at her and in turn Xander glared at him.

She held back a pleased grin at Xander's protective streak. "As an expert Dad had read a lot of mythology surrounding wolves and had once come across a story that said humans were descended from wolves. There was a lot more to it than that, something about wolves searching for paradise at the end of the world. He didn't really believe it, but he had to wonder since Charmant was a wolf that could blend in with humans. Maybe there was some small grain of truth to it. And well, even though I was only half wolf I discovered that I could do the same. When I was eight we were at the park in the evening and there was a game of tag going on with some other kids. I changed on accident…luckily Dad was a quick thinker and called me back. Most people had never seen a wolf so they just thought I was a dog. After that we had to be more careful and I had to learn to hold my form. There's no shifting like with a werewolf. We can change in the blink of an eye." She paused and looked at Xander. "I think because you're mostly human it took you longer to…take on the wolf."

For a moment her son couldn't meet her eyes and he squirmed in his chair. "Um…actually there was an incident at the Zoo…"

"Catch some wolves mating did you?" Spike smirked.

Xander took the teasing in stride, and waved it off. "Nah, that was the Zebras, the heimlich maneuver with stripes. No I sorta went into the Hyena exhibit, and it was quarantined and there was magic and I ended up with a Hyena spirit and went all alpha and crazy. We got the spirit out though. But after having a pack…" Xander trailed off with a look of pain. "There were five of us, and I was pack leader. We…ran together, hunted. I'd never felt so alive. And then the hyena was gone…"

_That actually makes an odd sort of sense…glad they got the hyena out though, Primals are not easy to deal with._ Jessica nodded. "You'd had a taste of pack and lost it. That's why you mourned. You called my wolf back for a night, I could hear you howling and I had to answer."

Mother and son shared soft gazes while the vampire looked on in disbelief. He'd never in his un-life heard a human speak of hunting in such a way. It was strange to think that the Whelp knew what it was like to hunt with a partner, a pack, strange to even consider that the boy could understand something so animalistic.

"Well, that explains the wolves bit. Care to talk about the Slayer bit now?" Spike started to snarl his lip, he wasn't fond of slayers, except when killing them, but it turned to a grimace and then a glare when Xander kicked him under the table. The boy glared back.

_Oh god, they're practically flirting!!?_ Another giggle came from Jessica and it tinged on hysteria because for a moment she thought it was cute, and a little insane, that her son was kicking a vampire in the shin for being rude. When she calmed down a little she continued. "We lived there in that small town until I was called at thirteen. That's when I met Nathan Spiel."

xxx

"Nathan?" Xander grinned slightly, his mild hostility at Spike forgotten at his mother's fond smile.

"Watcher?" Spike asked, digging out his lighter to distract him from kicking Xander back and thus avoiding a migraine.

"Yes, a rather young Watcher, just out of the academy."

_Ick, brand new watcher fresh off the assembly line._ "Oh god, was he all stuck up and tweed-wearing? We've finally got Giles to relax, he doesn't wear tweed anymore. And when Wesley came over he was like Super Tweed-man." Xander groaned in exaggerated false pain at the memory.

Jessica giggled a bit, her eyes livening up and Xander smiled, his mom needed to do that more. "Hardly, he was almost kicked out of the academy once or twice and wouldn't be caught dead in tweed. He preferred Jeans and T's and had a tattoo of England's flag on his left shoulder."

"Sounds like a right nice bloke."

"He was the best."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Sounds like someone had a crush." When Jessica blushed Xander looked a little green. "Mom?" _Oh god oh god oh god. Ewww! That'd be like…like…Buffy and Giles, or Buffy and Wesley…wonder how much Spike would laugh at me if I blew chunks right now._

"Ah…see he was my Watcher for a long time. I lasted longer than most. From thirteen to eighteen, that's five years sweetie, most slayers only last a couple of years. The only reason I lasted so long was because of Nathan. He had a different idea of how things should be done, things that pissed the council off. He trained me, taught me how to use my gifts and went with me to watch my back."

_Huh, so maybe not like Giles or Wesley…guy sounds kind of like Spike…and isn't that freaky, Mom and I have a similar taste in men…not that I have a taste in men or vamps like Spike…not that I like Spike…errr…Why do I babble in my head? Okay, back on track, must speak out loud and not about Spike…damn Spike thoughts in my head._ Xander took a breath and concentrated on speaking of things not Spike related. "Buffy, you remember her, short blond and bubbly, she's the slayer…or should I say a slayer?" Xander pondered that for about half a second before plowing on. "But her Watcher, Giles he went on patrol with her…well we did too, Willow, Oz and I that is. But Giles went into the cemeteries with her for training and stuff. Wesley did too…kind of. So what pissed the council off so much?"

Jessica smiled. "Nathan had a lot of friends who were demons and introduced me to them. Some were a little violent but wouldn't attack a human unless provoked. Most were peaceful and wanted to be left alone, or looked human enough that they lived with and among humans. I learned not to just be a slayer, but to be a peacekeeper and a friend."

"That was bold of him, lettin' his Slayer play nice with the monsters." Xander could help but agree with Spike, crap like that would piss off the Council of Poop-heads, to borrow a Willow phrase.

"I wouldn't have had it any other way. There are a lot of good demons out there, many of them friend material."

Spike gave her a pointed look. "What changed luv?"

"The council sent everything to hell. They didn't want the slayer to settle things peacefully. They wanted all demons to be killed pretty much on sight. Nathan told them to 'Sod off' when a representative came to talk to him. And we paid for it."

_Oh damn that does not sound good. I bet the council wasn't accepting visa._ "You died didn't you." Xander's comment made Jessica freeze and shoot a look at him. "Buffy…she died at the end of Sophomore year, the Master drowned her. I didn't know where the Master's lair was, so I had to go get Angel and force him to take me there at cross point. Deadboy swore up and down he loved her but he wasn't going to do anything, jerk. Anyway, when we got to the cavern she was lying face down in the water, she'd stopped breathing and he was ready to give up. I did the CPR thing and well…she's alive."

"You revived a slayer?" Jessica could only stare at her boy in wonder.

Xander looked a little embarrassed. _Aw come on Mom, don't look at me like I'm a miracle worker. I'm just me._

Spike saw the faint blush and had to needle at him a bit. "Kind of odd how he did that when he's the son of a slayer."

Jessica nodded and smiled in obvious pride, it wavered though as she readied to continue her tale. "I was eighteen and Xander, I won't lie to you…by that time I was in love with Nathan and well, being eighteen. Things took an intimate turn before all hell broke loose." Her cheeks colored slightly and she cleared her throat. "There was a clan of Coritsai demons that was having some internal problems, a civil war between different families was about to break out and some bystanders, all human had gotten hurt in some skirmishes. Nathan and I arranged a meeting in a neutral area with the clan leaders. The building was abandoned and the perfect place for a trap." Her eyes closed and she seemed to shrink in on herself. "When we got there the clan leaders were dead and not five minutes later the building exploded." Her whole frame shook in remembered terror. "One moment I'm confirming the leaders are dead, angry because some of them had been friends, Nathan was being very vocal about the whole thing and then suddenly heat and fire was all I could feel and see. Then nothing, I blacked out. I woke up in the ER of a local hospital. And Nathan was dead, and apparently I'd died in the ER, only for a moment though."

_Aww crap. Talk about overkill._ "Jesus." Xander's eyes looked watery as he gripped Jessica's hand tightly. "I'm so sorry Mom."

She squeezed his hand back and nodded. "The council assumed I was dead and located the next slayer. I stayed in the Hospital for a few days, the doctors wanted to keep an eye on us for a while."

"Us?" Spike raised a brow at her, eyes slightly wide in curiosity, sometimes the vamp reminded Xander of a big bleached cat.

"I was pregnant."

Xander's eyes widened almost comically and Spike had to choke back a snicker. The boy coughed and spluttered before managing to spit anything out. "Me?" _Omigod! Does that mean I'm half British? I don't have to give up twinkies for scones do I? 'Cause hell can freeze over before I give up twinkies._

Jessica nodded. "Nathan was your father. But…he was gone. The EMTs told me that a man had dragged me out of the rubble before collapsing and—and they couldn't save him." A single tear escaped a forest eye and made it's way down her cheek. "After that I couldn't go back to slaying. It was too hard, too many memories. I ran and ran and lost myself. That's when I met Tony. He was nothing special, but he had a job and while I wasn't showing yet I needed to think of you. But even then I couldn't really fight the depression and all my instincts became buried. All that I was, was lost, both wolf and slayer forgotten."

"But…the wolf…" Xander looked confused. "We hunted together."

"Yes, that first time when you called out for pack…and then again during your graduation. There was so much power in the air that something called the wolf out again then."

"Huh. Weird." _Stupid snakey mayor and his stupid ascension._

"What will you do now slayer?" Spike asked.

Jessica turned a glare on him. "My name is Jessica, and I am more than just a slayer."

"Right. Fine, but what are you going to do? You going to tell your story to the Whelp's mates, the Watcher?"

_Stupid Spike, be nice to my Mom. Maybe I should say something helpful…_ "Giles would go all 'hmm and bookman' on us. Oh, and the council fired him. Buffy quit the council at the same time during senior year after that whole coming of age test. It nearly got her and her mom killed. So none of us like the council…you'd fit right in."

"I'll think about it." Jessica looked at the clock. "But it can wait, as soon as the sun goes down—I want to run." Her eyes landed on Xander again. "Feel like hunting with your Mom?"

_Woohoo!_ A smile lit up Xander's face. "That would be so cool." He turned the smile on Spike who looked a little lost. "How about it evil undead; feel like hunting some fledges?"

"And you're inviting me why?"

Mother and Son shrugged and said. "You smell like pack."

"Right…don't do that again, it's creepy." He looked thoughtful before nodding. "Could do with a spot of violence."

xxx

Spike took a moment to wonder to wonder if the wolves/humans had gone barmy because you only invited someone you trusted to hunt with you. Even vampires had to have a sense of trust, no matter how small before hunting together. _And what's all that shite about me smellin' like pack, I'm not a bleeding wolf. Shouldn't smell like pack._

"You sure you want me along? Don't want this to be just a Mother and Son outing?"

Xander shrugged. "Nah, you might as well run with us. Right Mom?"

Jessica nodded and suddenly gave them a wicked grin that nearly made his hair stand on end. "I don't see why not…unless you two would rather run off on your own for a while."

_Here now, what's the bird thinking…and why the hell is the Whelp blushing…oh…didn't see that one coming._ A trickle of pheromones hit his nose and he breathed them in and held Xander's scent in his lungs. _Didn't see that one comin' at all._

"MOM!"

"I'm kidding; can't I tease you a little in front of your vampire?"

"He's not my vampire!"

"The smell of pack says different sweetie."

"Stupid Wolf sense of smell."

_What the bleeding hell have I gotten dragged into?_ He couldn't help the snickers that escaped him as Jessica continued to tease Xander about his 'relationship' with Spike. With the snickers, he was not giggling thank you very much, an odd sense of belonging settled in him as he watched them interact as a mum and her boy should.

It wasn't quite the same as coming home, but it was nice just the same.

XXX


	5. Chapter Four

Pack and Something More

Word Count: 2,469

calikocat

_A/N: So I'm thinking this might take place right after the episode doomed. Only Spike is not leaving the basement, at least not without Xander and Jessica._

XXX

The water was warm and a comfort to her tired body as she stood under the spray relishing the liquid heat. She'd gotten the last of the shampoo from her hair a few minutes ago, but her mind was still racing, jumping about, barely able to sift through all that she had learned, and all that was yet to come. With a sigh and a shake of her head she turned the water off and reached for a towel.

_So…my pup knows about the Hellmouth, and has for a few years now. He's best friends with a slayer, a slayer that he revived after she died, and now he's got a vampire staying with him._ She wrapped her hair in a towel and grabbed another to dry the rest of her. _And he's got the hots for the vampire, William the Bloody of all demons. Jeeze, can my boy pick'em or what?_ A giggle followed her inner monologue and she hurried to stifle it, aware that either the demon or her offspring could hear it.

After wrapping the second towel around her body she moved with slow grace to the attached bedroom but she stopped suddenly as something occurred to her. She'd told Xander about her life…but he'd hadn't done the same. _Oh god._ He'd just given her a few basic details, best friend a slayer, primal possession, Watcher without tweed. She giggled again, this time not worrying about them hearing her and stumbled to the bed. There was no telling what sort of secrets he'd kept from her because that's what you did when you'd seen what was really in the dark. You kept secrets to keep your loved ones safe.

"But he won't have to do that anymore." She whispered to herself as she fumbled to open the drawer of the night stand. Her fingers touched the smooth photograph and she pulled it out. _I'll have to show him this. Jesus Nathan, I never saw any of this coming. Care to give me a hand? A sign maybe?_ She looked longingly at the snapshot of the two of them. She looked so young and happy with Nathan's arm wrapped around her. He had always worked the rebel look without a flaw. Ripped jeans so thin they looked molded on accompanied by a beaten up leather jacket.

"What would you think about your son wanting to jump a vampire, and not just any vampire either; our boy wants William the damned Bloody!" She traced the familiar face in the snapshot, and chocolate eyes looked back at her, twinkling with mischief behind the long black hair that threatened to cover his face. She remembered when the photo had been taken, the day had been windy and Nathan hadn't pulled his hair back.

A soft smile graced her face and a tear made its way down her cheek. She'd always loved him best like that, smiling with his hair moving in the wind. Like something wild, sometimes he was almost like a wolf, no other man would run with her, hunt with her, howl at the sky and moon with her. Nathan had been her pack, her whole world.

But now she had a new pack…maybe. She definitely had Xander and he would always be pack, and if her pup played his cards right Spike might end up being pack too. After all he already smelled like he belonged.

A snort escaped her and she imagined Nathan meeting Spike. God, the two of them would have gotten along fine. And wasn't that a scary thought.

xxx

After Jessica had gone upstairs to shower Xander gave Spike a look before heading to the basement. Not sure what the look meant made him a curious vampire. And curious vampires are predictable creatures, so he followed. Though slowly as the aches from the beating Tony had given him were still giving him trouble. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he nearly stumbled in shock. The boy was bleeding and the scent of fresh human blood was nearly overwhelming, it had been too long since he'd had a taste.

"Xander?" He looked around the room, eyes wide and wild. _If that boy has hurt himself…_

"Over here." Xander was sitting on the bed a knife in his right hand and blood slowly flowing from his left wrist.

His jaw nearly dropped but he was still able to growl at the boy's foolishness. "What are you doing? Have you gone mad? You're Mum smells the blood and she'll be down here right quick."

Xander rolled his eyes and put the knife down on the bedside table. "I doubt it, she's trusts my judgment and if you bite me I'll bite you back, wolf remember?" He gave Spike a grin and patted a spot on the bed beside him. "Sit."

"Barmy brat." But nevertheless Spike made his way around the bed to sit on the other side. He eased onto the mattress and looked at the boy. "Well?"

Xander blushed and held out the bleeding appendage. "I uh—haven't gone down to the red cross yet this week so…"

"Wondered where you got the good stuff from. Been breakin' in?"

Xander snorted. "Please, like I'd do that when I can get the stuff for free anyway." He moved his wrist closer. "I know you heal better if you've had human, just drink a little. I'll go by tomorrow and get the good stuff."

Not wanting to turn down a good snack Spike took hold of Xander's arm and leaned down to run his tongue along the cut. The boy's taste nearly exploded in his mouth and his taste buds nearly cried at the liquid treasure. It had been too long since he'd drank right from the source. But this was unlike anything else. This was given freely. He drank only a mouthful before running his tongue over the cut again to help it heal.

"Bloody hell boy, do you live off chocolate? I can taste it in your blood." He blinked. "Strong stuff too…need to lie down for a bit."

Xander gave him a smile. "Not stopping you."

"You're insane."

"Probably." Xander moved to sit on the floor, giving up the fold out to Spike. Spike laid down facing Xander, his own face showing how uncertain he was. "What is all this then?"

"What is all of what?"

"You and your Mum acting like things are just keen and neither of you are objecting to a vampire in the house. And what's all that rot about me being pack?"

Xander looked thoughtful for a moment. "To tell ya the truth I'm not sure what's going on. I think Mom's just glad to be herself again and since you smell like pack she doesn't mind you being around."

"All right fine, I'll accept that the too of you are a little out there when it comes to logic. But this pack thing, how do you know…" Spike stopped and closed his eyes for moment. "God your blood is rich pet." He opened his eyes again, the dizziness fading. "Why do I feel like pack to you?"

Xander gave a shy smile from beneath thick lashes. "You always protect pack…that's what I did a couple of weeks ago when we narrowly stopped the end of the world. The building was coming down on us and I just reacted and well, you were there."

Spike nodded. "You kept me from getting smashed up…thanks for that." Xander nodded his face a light pink. "So, let me get this straight, ever since you saved me from the rubble I've felt like pack?"

"Pretty much…but sleeping in my bed probably helped...I mean I could smell my scent on you and…damn, there's just no way to get that sentence out safely."

"I think I get it. Staying here meant I smelled like home yea?"

"Yeah."

"Nothin' wrong with that then."

Xander blinked. "There's not?"

"Nah, it's been a long time since I had someone to hunt with, could be an experience to have a pack."

Xander looked wistful all of a sudden. "I haven't run since graduation night. I miss it."

"How fast can you change? What triggers it?"

Brown eyes locked onto blue and in a moment instead of Xander sitting on the basement floor, there was a wolf. It was huge, bigger than any domestic dog Spike had ever seen. The wolf's fur was a dark brown, a chocolate to match the laughing eyes. And the wolf was laughing at him, its eyes were twinkling with merriment and it's tongue lolled out of its mouth in a crazy smile.

"Bloody hell that's fast, didn't even see you change…you can still understand me right?" Xander plopped a huge front paw on Spike's shoulder and tilted his head to the left, as if to say _duh!_

"Right then."

Xander made a deep rumble sound in his throat before jumping over Spike and onto the bed. On the far side of the bed he lay down with his head on the pillow and looked at the vampire.

Spike smirked at him. "I could go for a nap, here, don't hog the pillow." Spike settled down next to Xander and gazed into the wolf's eyes. The flecks of green were there at the edges, but it was obvious, to any who really knew Xander that this was no ordinary wolf. Red could probably have recognized him right off, if not after a few crazed antics that only the boy would do.

He raised a hand to pet the thick fur at Xander's neck, gentle and slow at first as he didn't know how the boy would react. But Xander just lay there, every now and then rising up into the hand that traced through his ruff.

"Like that?" Another rumble was Spike's answer and he laughed and continued to pet Xander until the wolf's eyelids grew heavy and closed. Eventually Spike's hand slowed till it was barely moving and he found himself slipping away into slumber to the sound of Xander's deep breathing.

xxx

When she opened her eyes it took a moment for the room to come into focus in the fading daylight. The Sun was going down…but she couldn't remember why that was important…something to do with vampires and wolves…Pack! Jessica shot up off the bed, moving faster than she had in years, sleep falling away along with the towel that had been wrapped around her body, leaving her naked and quivering in anticipation.

She remembered. They were going to hunt tonight, as a pack, a small pack, but a pack nonetheless. She laughed softly and headed toward her bedroom door…but stopped short and decided to slip something on. Xander would appreciate her clothed state before they shifted.

A shirt and pair of shorts later found her making her way down the stairs quietly. The silence was natural, as much a part of her as breathing and she reveled in it.

The basement door was open and she slipped passed it and down the steps, avoiding the loose one entirely. The sight that greeted her in the dusk of the room made her smile. Boy and vampire lay facing each other, the vampire's hand rested on her son's neck. Xander's breathing was deep, natural compared to Spike's deathly stillness. She took a step further into the room and they both twitched. She watched them as them they opened their eyes and locked gazes before looking at her.

It was dark now, the sun was down for the day and the night lay ahead of them.

"Ready?"

Spike started to move his hand from Xander's neck but the boy caught it and gave it a squeeze before rolling off the bed. He gave the vampire a smirk.

"Well? Are we ready Spike?"

Spike grinned at him. "Sure." He glanced past Xander to where Jessica stood. "Lead the way Mum."

xxx

Buffy shivered as another howl rang out through the night air. The stupid dogs were scaring away all the baby vamps. She and the Initiative boys weren't getting anything done.

"Maybe would should call it a night?" Riley asked, the other men dressed in black looked disappointed but nodded. The monsters weren't coming out tonight.

"It doesn't make sense." Buffy grumbled. "It's the wrong time of month for werewolves to be out."

Riley smiled at her. "Could just be regular wolves Buffy. Even hostiles should be wary of wolves, they hunts in packs and can bring down prey much larger than themselves."

"I guess. Still, can't believe we wasted all that time. I could have been studying."

Riley chuckled and nudged her arm. "Wasn't a total loss."

She smiled at him and took his arm. "True."

xxx

Spike grinned as they ran, an inhuman laughed escaping his throat as the fledge they were hunting tried to outrun them. The creature was exceptionally young, so young it still smelled like grave dirt and flowers. It felt good to truly hunt again, to feel the wind rushing past, his feet pounding silently over the ground.

Xander let out another howl. He was running alongside the fledge now, taunting it, letting it know that it was only a matter of time. Jessica answered her son's howl with one of her own and the fledge scrambled to a stop. She had circled around them to cut off the vampire's escape. The pathetic thing trembled as he gazed from mother to son, from the black wolf to the brown. He made an attempt to scramble back words but stopped when he bumped into Spike.

"Going somewhere?"

"Why?"

Spike didn't bother with an explanation, sure that the fledge wondered why another vampire was hunting him, why one of his own kind chased him. But in a moment of clarity Spike didn't feel like a vampire, and he threw his head back and howled at the sliver of moon high above.

His pack joined him. And the fledge knew his time was up.

xxx

Giles finished his glass; the cognac burned a slow trail on the way down. He needed the burn, welcomed it. The night was too eerie, even for the hell mouth. The howls brought up old memories, old promises, and the faces of dead friends. The alcohol lessened the haunted feeling that tried to overcome him.

He refilled his glass and carried it to the window and looked up at the sliver of moon. "Here's to you old man." He smiled a bitter smile and toasted a man long dead. And for a brief moment he thought he could hear the man's voice. He'd been crazy like that, howling at the moon like a lunatic. Nathan always was a crazy bastard. Giles snorted and made another toast. "Hope your having a better time than I am."

XXX


End file.
